TV news chases storm with Katrina in mind

Hurricane Rita

NEW YORK - Mindful of the devastation wrought by Katrina, television networks brought a seriousness of purpose to live coverage of Hurricane Rita as it hit land Saturday at the Texas-Louisiana border.

ADVERTISEMENT

Print-ready version

Send to a friend

Subscribe to the Banner-Herald

E-mail the Editor

Discuss in Forums

Cable news networks stayed with the story during overnight hours, while ABC and CBS extended their morning news shows until noon.

"So far, it has been a pretty wild ride," said CBS anchor John Roberts, reporting from Beaumont, Texas.

Roberts and ABC's Bob Woodruff had the journalistic good fortune to be stationed at a Beaumont hotel where the wind tore holes and water lapped into the lobby. It made for arresting pictures, and a heartbreaking ABC interview with a sobbing woman who had fled New Orleans, only to be chased by another hurricane.

"When you walk down that corridor, you see people with a lot of fear in their eyes," Woodruff said.

In the days after Katrina, the visibility of NBC anchor Brian Williams in New Orleans hurt ABC - still searching for the late Peter Jennings' successor. So the network threw its "A" team at Rita, with Woodruff, Charles Gibson in Houston and Diane Sawyer joining Bill Weir in the New York studio.

NBC, by contrast, aired golf for much of Saturday morning.

Renewed flooding in New Orleans left the networks struggling to characterize the damage. CNN initially reported authorities optimistic about how the city had done, while CBS's Harry Smith said "the worst case scenario happened."

While "dodged a bullet" was a popular television phrase, particularly with CNN's Soledad O'Brien, there was a danger in using it too soon with delays in getting pictures from the hardest-hit areas.

"At first, in many areas it didn't look really bad and suddenly we realized we'd been fooled," said CBS anchor Russ Mitchell.

CNN had strong footage with Miles O'Brien and Lumberton, Texas, police chief Norman Reynolds, trailed by a photographer when he discovered two trees that landed on his house.

"We were blessed," the chief said. "It could be much worse. This is an example of why you shouldn't be in a house while this is going on."

Fox News Channel anchor Shepard Smith was blown over while reporting from Beaumont Friday night. He struggled to his feet in the mud, then held onto a street sign for balance.

"It's just stupid to be out in this," he said.

There was little showboating from reporters, but there were exceptions.

MSNBC's Janet Shamlian tattled on herself, telling how she tried to drive in Galveston, Texas, but had trouble keeping on the road. Her hat flew off in the wind as she talked.

"Oh, there goes my new NBC hat!" she said.

"We'll get you another one," came a voice from the studio, ending her report.